I help families and business owners plan for now and the future. This is done through estate planning and business planning. My process is to educate clients about opportunities - and problems - they or their family may encounter down the road. Next, I help them identify their priorities and goals, and then develop a plan to accomplish those goals. This sometimes involves using complicated legal structures and techniques, but I keep the explanations straight forward and understandable. After all, a great plan isn’t that great if you don’t understand it. Quality planning that you understand is...

I decided to become a lawyer after many years in education in Los Angeles. I was everything from a substitute teacher with a Kindergarten class to teaching English and P.E. to students just out of juvenile hall or on probation. After my time teaching, I knew that I wanted to continue to help others, but in a different way. I attended school to become a lawyer, attending Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. I enjoyed law school incredibly, and also excelled at it. Being a lawyer continues that good feeling for me. I get to do something I am passionate about...

The Law Offices of Ken Mitchell-Phillips Law, P.C. is a law firm established in Oregon and Washington to provide personalized and high quality business transactional, real estate, civil litigation, and estate planning legal services to businesses ranging from start-ups and emerging small businesses to Fortune 500 companies in the Pacific Northwest. The firm is dedicated to providing its' clients high quality, sophisticated, and complex legal services at a reasonable rate. When you hire The Law Offices of Mitchell-Phillips, P.C., you are not just getting another law firm, you'll get valuable legal advice and counsel from an...

Elizabeth A. Perry emphasizes Medicaid, Estate planning and Probate issues in her law practice.
Elizabeth is admitted to practice law in the states of Washington and Oregon and before the U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington. She is a graduate of the University of Oregon (B.S., Economics, 1973) and the University of Oregon Law School (J.D., 1976). In connection with her studies, she is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Order of Coif honorary societies.
Elizabeth has served as Trustee for the Clark County Bar Association, Vice-chair of the Chinook Trail Association, President of Women In Action, and President...

Kirsten A. Samwel founded her law firm with a genuine desire to solve client problems effectively and efficiently. Her motivation lies in helping clients through their legal issues compassionately, while advocating on behalf of those clients in a tough and competent manner.
Kirsten has a reputation for being an approachable, open-minded attorney. She is someone you can talk to and is a bright, well-qualified lawyer who dedicates herself to achieving her client’s goals. Kirsten Samwel is a trusted counselor and attorney at law whose practice area emphasizes...

John Lutgens has been practicing law in Southwest Washington and the Portland metropolitan area since 1992. After graduating from Willamette University, College of Law in 1992, he joined the Portland firm of Sims & Sims. While at Sims & Sims he practiced in criminal defense, personal injury, estate planning & probate, real estate law, commercial fishing law, business transactions, and litigation. Since 1994, when John Lutgens opened his firm in Vancouver, Washington, he has practiced in multiple areas, including plaintiff’s personal injury, criminal defense, estate planning & probate, business formation and transaction, family law, bankruptcy, and real...

Jennifer focuses her practice on estate planning, elder law, guardianships, and real estate matters. She has earned a solid reputation in the community for ethical and professional legal services throughout her ten years in practice.

In 1997, Tim started his own solo practice. Tim has represented various clientele in his over 24 years of practicing including average consumer debtors, small businesses, large fitness club, fortune 100 company, the FDIC, and non-profit corporations. He’s been married for over 27 years and has three children. Tim has enjoyed coaching his children through various Clark County youth organizations including coaching his sons’ football teams with Clark County Youth Football for 10 years, coaching his children's Catholic Youth Organization basketball teams for 10 years, Hot Shots basketball, Salmon Creek Little League baseball, CYO swimming, and Salmon Creek soccer...

Kenneth V. Hoffman received his Juris Doctor degree, cum laude, from Cleveland Marshall Law School. He is licensed in the State and Federal Courts of Washington and Ohio. He began his legal career in the trust department of Ameritrust Corporation, at the time the largest bank holding and trust company in Ohio. Mr. Hoffman was hired by the Clark County based Northwest National Bank in 1979 to establish and administer its trust department. He was responsible for all aspects of probate and trust administration, investment and taxation, and also served as in house counsel for the...

Estate Planning Lawyers in Nearby Counties

Estate planning arranges for the transfer of an individual's estate at the time of death. An estate consists of all property owned at death before it is distributed by will, trust, or intestacy laws. An estate may contain both real property and personal property. Estate planning allows an individual to decide exactly who will benefit from his or her estate, and to what extent. It can also reduce the taxes imposed on the transfer of assets at death.

An experienced estate planning lawyer can help minimize the amount of the estate surrendered to taxes as well as ensure that the management and distribution of the estate is carried out according to your plans. Particularly when your plans are complex and/or you have substantial property or assets, it is important to have an attorney who can ensure that your plan functions the way you intend. Depending on the complexity of your individual situation, your estate planning team may include attorneys, financial planners, bankers and insurance professionals. Some states certify attorneys as estate planning specialists, which means they have met certain requirements for experience, education, and testing in that field.

Fiduciary:
A person or institution who manages money or property for another and who must exercise a standard care imposed by law, i.e., personal representative or executor of an estate, a trustee, etc.

Personal representative:
The person who administers an estate. If named in a will, that person's title is an executor. If there is no valid will, that person's title is an administrator.